Rams add Beckham to crowded receiver corps
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — When the Los Angeles Rams learned they had a chance to land Odell Beckham Jr., their veterans assembled in the locker room Thursday morning. Jalen Ramsey made a call, and players took turns recruiting the 29-year-old wide receiver to their West Coast home.
“Felt like college, huh?” receiver Robert Woods said with a grin.
The Rams clearly sold themselves and their Super Bowl vision quite well to the mercurial player.
Beckham agreed to a one-year deal with Los Angeles, choosing the burgeoning super team over several potential free-agent destinations.
The Cleveland Browns released the disgruntled Beckham on Monday, midway through his third season with the team. He cleared waivers Tuesday with no franchise willing to pick up the $7.25 million he was owed under his last contract, freeing the three-time Pro Bowl selection with five 1,000-yard receiving seasons in the NFL to sign with any team.
After considering his options and getting the full-court press from his future teammates, Beckham elected to join quarterback Matthew Stafford, who is leading the NFL in passing yards in his first season with the Rams, and coach Sean McVay in the league’s most productive aerial offense.
“I have a lot of respect for who he is as a player,” said Stafford, who spent his first 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions and played with Beckham in a Pro Bowl. “It’s an opportunity for us as a team. It’s an opportunity for him to come in here and prove himself to us. … I know he’ll fit right in and just continue to get better, and hopefully it will help us as a team.”
The Rams swooped in fairly late in the courtship but closed the deal with the swashbuckling flair that has defined their front office under general manager Les Snead, who has rarely faced a salary cap challenge he couldn’t overcome.
Beckham joins a receiver corps that already has Cooper Kupp — his 74 catches for 1,019 yards and 10 touchdowns are all tops in the league this season — Woods (556 yards) and Van Jefferson (443 yards). One of those three is likely to see less playing time after Beckham joins the Rams, who have run offensive sets featuring three receivers almost exclusively this season.
He is the second veteran star to recently join the Rams (7-2), who seem to be trying everything to emerge from a crowded pack of NFC contenders so they can play in February’s Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium, the Inglewood venue they share with the AFC’s Los Angeles Chargers. Los Angeles traded for Von Miller last week, sending two high draft picks to the Denver Broncos for the vaunted pass rusher to join a defense that already led the NFL in sacks.
He has yet to debut for the Rams, but he was among those recruiting Beckham by phone.
Newton returns to Panthers
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Superman has returned. Whether veteran quarterback Cam Newton can rescue the Carolina Panthers’ sinking season remains to be seen.
The Panthers (4-5) announced Thursday that they have signed Newton to a one-year contract, bringing him back to the franchise that drafted him No. 1 overall in 2011 — and cut him prior to the 2020 season after he lost eight straight games as a starter.
The deal is worth $10 million, including $4.5 million in fully guaranteed money and a $1.5 million roster bonus, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team does not announce financial terms of players’ contracts.
“A healthy Cam Newton is a special player,” Panthers coach Matt Rhule said.
Carolina was in need of a quarterback after an MRI on Monday revealed starter Sam Darnold would miss at least four weeks with an incomplete fracture of his right shoulder blade. Rhule said he called Newton on Tuesday to gauge his interest in returning to Carolina, and the quarterback was excited about the possibility.
Rhule said P.J. Walker will still start Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals and Matt Barkley, signed off the Tennessee Titans’ practice squad earlier in the week, will serve as his primary backup. Rhule isn’t sure if Newton would be active against Arizona because he hasn’t practiced yet.